Car coupler



Oct. 6, 1931. w, so 1,825,907

CAR COUPLER Filed June 2, 1928 Patented a. 6, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENTFries WILLIAM KELSO, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB TO THEMCCONVJAY 5 TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATIONOF PENN- SYLVANIA CAR COUPLER Application filed. June 2, 1928. SerialNo. 282,446.

My invention relates to car couplers and particularly to the type knownas the American Railway Association Standard D- coupler. It is to beunderstood, however, that, although the improvements hereinafterdescribed and claimed are especially applicable to the D-coupler, theymay be embodied in couplers of other types.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a lock and a topoperating locklifter for use with the Dtype coupler head, eflicientlyserving to prevent accidental un-' locking of the coupler as theresult'of the shocks and jars to which the mechanism is subjected inservice.

In the D-coupler, when equipped with top operating release mechanism foractuating the lock, accidental movement of said lock to unlockedposition is designed to be restrained by causing the lock-lifter memberof the mechanism to cooperate with a shoulder or lock-down lug on theinterior of the coupler head.

Due to the form of the lock and top operating lock-lifter of theD-coupler andto their mode of combination and relative movements, aswell as because of their manner of cooperation with thecoupler head,accidental upward creeping of the lock to unlocked position is notprevented with the desired degree of reliability. 7 Especially is thistrue when .freight cars, to which such couplers are applied,"are intrains moving at comparatively high speed, for blows imparted to thecoupler from below cause the latter to be thrown upward against thelower surface of the usual striking plate secured to the car above theshank of the coupler at the rear of the coupler head, thus suddenlyarresting upward movement of the coupler head and thereby permitting thelocking block and its lifter to execute unlocking movements which varyin extent with the severity of the impacts. The lifter, being much lessheavy 4:? than the lock, is the more greatly afiectedby these serviceshocks and impacts and, under their influence, frequently moves upwardand forward relatively to the lock in a direction a which, if continuedto a suflicient extent, re-

sults in freeing the' lock from the control of cidentally jumped upwardwith respect to the the means intended to prevent its accidentalunlocking. 7

By my invention, the accidental movement of the lifter in the lockingblock, if of suflicient extent to jeopardize the effective performanceby the litter of its duty of retaining the lock in locked position,results in causing the lifter to cooperate with the lock in such mannerthat the lower end of the lifter is forced well under the portion of thecoupler head with which it cooperates when functioning to control theupward creeping of the lock. By thus controlling and directing the lowerend of the lock-lifter during the movements induced by service impacts,the possibility of the'lifter accidentally assuming a positionpermitting the lock to execute an unlocking movement is substantiallyeliminated.

In the drawings illustrating the invention as applied to an AmericanRailway Association Standard D-coupler, Figure 1 is a view, partly invertical section and partly in elevation, of the coupler head, lock, topoperating lock-lifter and knuckle opener, the parts being in normallocked relation,

Figure 2- is a view corresponding to Figure 1, but illustratingtherelative positions of the parts whenthe lock and its lifter haveaccoupler head as the result of an accidental service impact, the lowerend of the depending lock-leg being shown as positioned at the rear ofthe opening in the bottom wall of the coupler head. I V

Figure?) is a detailed view corresponding to Figure 2 but illustratingthe manner in which the lock cooperates with the lifter during anaccidental unlocking movementof said lock. 7 no In the drawings, 1indicates the coupler head upon which is rotatably mounted the usualknuckle (not shown), Uncoupling rotation of the knuckle is normallyprevented by a vertically sliding and rearwardly swing 'ing lock 2which, when in normallocked position, rests upon and is supported by theknuckle opener 3 which, in the D-coupler, 1s formed, as 1s well known,as a horlzontal rotatable lever adapted to be actuated by the 1depending lock leg 4:. When the lock 2 has been raised sufficiently torelease the knckle the fulcrum lug 5. upon its forward side, strikes theshoulder 6 within the coupler head, the lock thereafter being forced torotate so as to press the lower end of the depending leg 4 rearwardlyagainst the knuckle opener.

The lifter 7, for moving the lock to unlocked positiomextends upwardlythrough aniopening 8 in the top wall oftberoup-ler head, its upper endbeing preferably formed with an eye 9 for receiving an uncoupling leveror other suitable release rigging. Upon its rear face the lifter formedwith an upwardly facing inclined shoulder 10 adapted to cooperate withthe lower end'of the lock down lug 11 on the interior of the couplerhead 1 to prevent the locke from accidentally movingto unlockedposition. Immer iately above the shoulder 10, the lifter 7 is providedwith a rear face 12 which. when the parts are in normal locked position.overlaps the for ward'face' 0f the lock-down lug 11 and. in conjunctionwith the engaejement of the in:- per end of the lifter with the forwardwall 13 of the opening 8 in the top of the coupler head,.serves toprevent the lifter from droppingtoo low and from becoming operativelydisassociated from the lock.

The lock 2 is fashioned with an upwardly and rearwardly openingreccss14; for receiving the lowerend of the lifter, these parts beingslidablyand pivotally connected. For this latter purpose the lifter ispreferably provided at its lower end with oppositel disposed trunnions15, operating in shouldered guideways 16 in a Well known manner. To therear and below the trunnions, the lifter 7 extends downwardly to form alug, 17 having a. forward undercut face 18 for cooperating with abevelled face 19 upon the rear side of the lock. .2 at a pointimmediately below the lifter receiving recess 14 of said lock. sa dbevelled face 19 resulting in the formation of a recess in the rear faceof the lock 2 for receiving the lug 17 at the lowe end oftho lock lifter7, as shown in Figure 3. \Vhen the arts are in normal locked relation,as shown in Figure 1, the inclined surfaces 17 and 19 are in spacedrelation and the lower end of the undercut face 17 of the downwardextension of the lifter occupies a position rearwardly of the upper endof the bevel ed face 19, clearance thus being afforded to permit thelock lifter to execute a normal unlocking movement when it is actuat dby an uncoupling lever or other means provided for that purpose.

When the coupler. while in service. receives a shocker impact causing itto move upward suddenly, the locking block and lifter continue theirupward movement after that of the coupler head has been arrestei'l bythe lattel coming in contactwith the striking plate or other similarlyfunctioning part of the car.

The initial upward movement of these parts with respect to the couplerhead causes the lower end of the lifter 7 to move upward and forward inthe locking block recess 14 until the undercut face 18 of the downwardextension of the lifter comes into contact with the bevelled face 19 ofthe locking block 2. Thereafter, if the lifter 7 moves upwardly withrespect to the lock 2, which it must'do in orderto permit the lock to bereleased for an unlocking movement, the cooperation of the undercut face18 of'the litter and the bevelled face 19 of the locking block forcesthe lower end of tlielifter rearwardly in relation to the lock by theamount of the um'lercut or bevel, thus moving the lock-down shoulder 10of the lifter well under the lower end of the lock-down lug 11 of thecoupler head; In the manual operation of unlocking the coupler, anupward pull upon thelock lifter 7 causes its lower end to be retractedinto the slot 14 of the locking block, thereby withdrawing the lock-downshoulder 10 of the lifter from beneath the lock-down lug 11. of thecoupler head andthus releasing the lock from the control of thelock-to-the-lock means.

I claim:

1.. In a car coupler, thecornbination with a coupler head. of avertically sliding and rearwardly swinging lock adapted to restrainuncoupling rotation of the coupler knuckle, a lock-lifter'movablyconnected to said lock and extending upwardly therefrom through thecoupler head, said head being provided uponits interior with a lock-downshoulder for cooperating with the lower end'of said lifter to preventthe lock from accidentally movin'g'to unlocked position. said lockhaving'an upwardly and rearwardly opening slot for receiving saidlifterand. through the rear end ofwhich said lifter is adapted toproject so as to extend beneath said lock-down shoulder, said lifterbeing formed with a rear face i which overlappingly engages saidshoulder whenthe parts are in locked relation and having an upwardlyfacing shoulder for coopcrating with said lock-down shoulder and havingat its lower end a downward extension formed with an undercut forwardface, said lock being recessedbelow said slot to provide a bevelled,face adapted to cooperate withbsaid undercut face to force said upwardly facing shoulder rearwardly under said lock-down shoulder, and thesaid faces, when the lifter and lock are in normal locked relation,being spaced from each other and the upper endof said bevelled facebeing in a;

advance of the lower end of said undercut face to thereby permit saidlifter to execute'a. normal unlocking movement.

2. In a carcoupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a verticallysliding and rearwardly swinging look for the coupler knuckle, a lifterfor actuating the lock to cause it to assume unlocked position, saidlock being formed with an upwardly and rearwardly opening slot forreceiving the lifter and the latter being adapted to slide and ro- Vtate with respect to the lock, said coupler head being provided on itsinterior with a lock-down lug for cooperating with the lifter to preventaccidental unlocking of said lock,

said lifter having an upwardly facing shoulf der adapted to engage saidlug and having at its lower end a downward extension formed with anundercut forward face, said lock being recessed below said slot toprovide a bevelled face adapted to cooperate with said undercut face tocause the lower end of'the lifter to move rearwardy with respect to saidlug, and the said faces being in spaced relation when the lock andlifter are in normal locked position and the upper end of said bevelledface being in advance of the lower end of said undercut face to therebypermit said lifter to execute a normal unlocking movement.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM KELSO.

